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Political Strategies of Interest Groups in the United States

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Learn about lobbying tactics, PAC money influence, unconventional strategies, and biases in the interest group system.

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Political Strategies of Interest Groups in the United States

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  1. Interest Groups 11/28/2011

  2. Clearly Communicated Learning Objectives in Written Form • Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: • discuss and critically analyze political events in the United States government • students will be able to identify and explain the role of  informal institutions and their effect on policy. 

  3. Office Hours and Readings • Pp 130-151 • Office Hours • Tuesday 8-12 • Wednesday 8-10:30

  4. Resources of Interest Groups • Money and Size • Intensity • Cohesion • Access

  5. Direct Lobbying Tactics of Interest Groups

  6. Direct Lobbying • Traditional Interest group tactic • All about making contacts • Exchanging Resources

  7. Direct Lobbying • An Exchange of Resources • What Resources do interest groups have for legislators? • What resources do legislators have for interest groups

  8. The Revolving Door • 1 year moratorium • People move out of Congress and on to “K” Street

  9. Why former Congressmen? • Familiarity • Ability to get access

  10. Direct Lobbying is not Cheap

  11. Tactics of Interest Groups Indirect Lobbying

  12. What is Outsider/Indirect Lobbying • Pressure from outside the beltway • Pressure without direct contact

  13. Tactics of Indirect Lobbying • Electoral Threats • Using the media to shape opinion • Reports and publications

  14. Politicians dislike indirect tactics

  15. Interest groups and the electoral connection On the campaign trail

  16. Why Get involved? • You want to keep people you trust in position • You want to control the agenda

  17. Getting the membership active • Encouraging members to donate • Hitlists • Scorecards

  18. How Much Can Members Give?

  19. Spending Money

  20. Money is a form of Political Speech • Buckley v. Valeo • At the federal level, fundraising is not capped • Neither are expenditures

  21. Political Action Committees • The Money Giving Arm of an Interest Group • Can Give $5,000 per candidate per election

  22. Different PACs have different Goals • Issue PACS • Labor PACS • Ideological PACS • Leadership PACS

  23. PACS Give to Safe Seats • Money flows to safe seats • Giving money to losers has no return on investment • If I wanted to buy seats, I would give to underdogs and closer races

  24. Pacs Give To Incumbents • I care about the issues, not the label • I want to keep my supporters in office • Keep my enemies out

  25. PACS Give to People Who Already Support them • “Corporations Love Everyone” • You want them to get reelected • You want them to continue to support your ideas

  26. PACS do not Give To Undecided Members • Money could convince them to vote my way • But what if it doesn’t • Its safer to hang on to it

  27. PACS do not give to their enemies • My money is not going to change their votes • They won’t take my money anyway

  28. The Goal Of PAC Money • Access • A chance to meet with legislators • Ensure my views are represented

  29. Unconventional strategies

  30. What are Unconventional Strategies • Things outside of traditional lobbying • Using events and media coverage to gather support • Can border on legality

  31. Why Groups Use Unconventional Strategies • Lack the Traditional Resources of powerful interest groups • Convential strategies may not work • The group is committed to the message

  32. Problems of Unconvential Strategies Wrong Coverage No Coverage

  33. Unconventional Strategies Can Backfire

  34. 9 out of 10 times Grassroots is a euphemism for poor or unorganized

  35. Astroturf Movements • “fake grassroots” • Sponsored by a few donors, a union, or a corporation • Ross Perot was one of the first

  36. Problems of interest Groups

  37. The System is Biased • It is not a fair system • All components of interest group power are not distributed evenly

  38. Representational Inequality

  39. Access Inequality • Benefits Matter • Some Groups will never form • Some groups will form easily

  40. Resource Inequalities Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission Communications can include the magic words Cannot be in conjunction with a candidate or party

  41. Independent Expenditures in 2010 From The Right From The Left

  42. “The Flaw in the pluralist heaven is that the heavenly chorus sings with a strong upper class accent”.

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